Johnnie Walker challenges US Open golfers to break record on Fathers Day for charity
Besting Record US Open Score of 272 Will Net Winner a $27,200 Donation to Charity in Their Father’s Name
There’s always a lot at stake when the world’s best professional golfers step to the tee for the final round of the US Open on Father’s Day. But now, the Johnnie Walker Collection has put one more prize on the table in honor of fathers everywhere and US Open record-holder Jim Furyk who shares the tournament’s record low net score of 272.
If the winning golfer sets a new all-time record for lowest 72-hole total, the Johnnie Walker Collection, a Furyk sponsor since 2007, will make a donation of $27,200 (100 times the current record) to the charity of their choice in their father’s name.
“My father has been one of the most important people in my life, both professionally and personally, so it’s always a joy to spend Father’s Day with him on the golf course competing in one of the biggest tournaments in the world,” admitted Furyk. “This course proved in 2002 that it will present a true challenge to golfers looking to set the low mark.”
The Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York, last hosted the US Open in 2002, when Tiger Woods’ score of (-3) 277 was the only score under par. To earn the charitable contribution, a golfer will need to tally a four-day score of 271, (-9) or less on the challenging course. If two golfers break the record and are forced into a playoff, the Johnnie Walker Collection will split the donation between each of the players’ charities.
Furyk, one of the most successful players in golf and a 13-time winner on the PGA Tour, currently ranks 4th on the Career Earnings list and 13th on the Official World Golf Rankings. His biggest win to date was the 2003 US Open when he joined Tiger Woods (2000), Lee Janzen (1998) and Jack Nicklaus (1980) as record holders for the lowest total 72-hole score in US Open history. In June of 2007, Furyk and the Johnnie Walker Collection announced a three-year sponsorship agreement, and together launched the Safe Drive Campaign, a national program to raise awareness of road safety. “When celebrating with friends and family this Father’s Day, remember to drink responsibly and designate a driver or take a taxi,” adds Furyk.
Golf and Scotch whisky are arguably two of Scotland’s greatest gifts to the world, and Johnnie Walker — the world’s leading Scotch whisky brand — has been linked with the sport since the mid-19th Century. Most notable associations include Asia Pacific’s premier golf event, the Johnnie Walker Classic and the Johnnie Walker Championship in Gleneagles Scotland.
Source: Diageo
56-Year-Old Grandmother Heads to Antarctica to Run Her Seventh Worldwide Marathon in Under a Year
Compassionate Runner, Linda Quirk, Nationally Known for Her Quest to Raise One Million Dollars for Charity, Makes a Request for More Donations on www.Run7on7.com
At 56, Linda Quirk has undergone an amazing journey – seven marathons across seven continents in just under a year. She began her trek across the globe by running the Boston Marathon in April 2008 and has since gone on to run the Great Wall of China, Easter Island, Kenya (Safaricom), Reykjavik, and Melbourne marathons. Now she’s heading to Antarctica to run along its freezing glaciers on March 10, for what will be her seventh and final continent on her mission.
“I can’t believe it’s finally here,” says Linda Quirk. “This past year has been a whirlwind with national media, sponsorships and the support of so many incredible people.”
Linda’s goal has always been to help raise one million dollars for Caron Treatment Center’s addiction scholarship program that helps families in need get access to treatment at Caron. At close to $250,000, Linda has been able to reach a quarter of her goal, but in this economic climate, she sees this as a success.
“It’s been tough,” said Linda Quirk. “This is why we’re asking people to part with whatever they can afford, because even a little goes a long way. For example, the $250,000 raised thus far will help us put more than 20 people through Caron’s innovative treatment. People just like my stepdaughter Katherine who we almost lost to a methamphetamine addiction forever.”
Caron is a nonprofit addiction treatment center that helps those affected by alcohol and drugs and their families begin a new life. Linda’s stepdaughter, Katherine, began her journey from methamphetamine addiction to recovery at Caron Renaissance in Florida, something Linda is forever grateful for. In fact, five members of Caron’s staff have run alongside her to support this momentous initiative.
“We are honored by Linda’s efforts on Caron’s behalf,” says Missy Orlando, Executive Vice President, of Communications and Marketing at Caron Treatment Centers. “Linda’s worldwide mission, and her stepdaughter’s successful recovery, has been an inspiration to all of us.”
To document her mission, Linda launched www.Run7on7.com, a captivating Web site that has been following her adventure around the globe with video footage, media highlights and more while accepting the much-needed scholarship donations.
Linda’s been sharing the experience of helping a loved one overcome their chemical dependency on www.Run7on7.com and in public forums where she hopes to inform other families that addiction doesn’t discriminate but that there is hope for a successful recovery. Linda is also beginning the groundwork for a national recovery movement and will be making a special announcement about her plans to continue her mission to raise one million dollars for Caron sometime after Antarctica.
Physically, Linda is a far cry from your typical 56-year-old grandmother of three. She’s a trained runner who has participated in multiple marathons and triathlons around the world including Big Sur, Alaska and Berlin. She has also completed numerous extreme races including many Ironman full, half and Olympic distance triathlons, including: Ironman Florida, Long Course Worlds in Sweden, Ironman Lanzarote, Ironman World Championships, Kona, Hawaii and Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Clearwater, Florida.
To help get the word out and to support her mission, Linda has partnered with BP Products North America Inc. and SkirtSports. Currently, Linda – a member of BP’s “Team Invigorate” – is speaking on behalf of BP gasoline with Invigorate, a unique formula that helps cars run “younger for longer.” For more information about BP gasoline with Invigorate and Team Invigorate, visit bpinvigorate.com.
To learn more about Linda Quirk’s incredible story or to make a donation to her cause, log onto www.Run7on7.com.
2nd Annual Stater Bros. Charities Dave Stockton Heroes Challenge to Include 9 Golf Professionals and 5 Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients
Stater Bros. Charities’ largest charity event of the year will take place at the prestigious Victoria Club in Riverside, California
Last year, Stater Bros. Supermarket’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jack H. Brown partnered with long-time friend and PGA Champions Tour Pro Dave Stockton to launch one of the largest charity golf tournaments in the region, the Stater Bros. Charities Dave Stockton Heroes Challenge, which generated more than $427,000 for local charities. This year, the legacy continues with the 2nd Annual Stater Bros. Charities Dave Stockton Heroes Challenge taking place on Monday, March 2, 2009 at the Victoria Club in Riverside, California and will include a line up that reaches far beyond the realm of the Inland Empire.
The Heroes Challenge will be limited to 128 players who will compete for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place and consist of seven of Stockton’s PGA Tour friends including but not limited to:
Donna Caponi-Byrnes - Byrnes is a Member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and is a 24-Time Winner on the LPGA Tour which includes four major championships: 1969 & 1970 U.S. Women’s Open and the 1979 & 1981 LPGA Championships. She is currently working as a color-analyst for The Golf Channel.
John Cook – Cook finished #5 on the Champions Tour Money List for 2008 after playing 26 events and 15 top 10 finishes. Cook has over 11 PGA Tour Victories and 2 wins on the Champions Tour, both at the AT&T Championship.
Hubert Green - Green is a Member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and is a 19-Time Winner on the PGA Tour including 2 major championships: 1977 U.S. Open Championship and 1985 PGA Championship.
Gary McCord – McCord was on the PGA Tour from 1974 to 1998 with two dozen top ten finishes and has been the official Golf Analyst for CBS Sports since 1986.
In addition, Brown and Stockton have invited five Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients to participate in a weekend of events including a visit to the ROTC Riverside Unit on Tuesday, March 3, 2009. Both Brown and Stockton were born and raised in San Bernardino, California and have been proud residents of the Inland Empire for most of their lives. Because of their close ties to the community, Brown and Stockton feel a great desire to give back to the Inland Empire. The proceeds from this Tournament will go directly to the critical needs facing the areas Stater Bros. is privileged to serve.
Dave Stockton, Honorary Tournament Chairman: Stockton’s resume in golf makes him one of the most accomplished PGA Golf Professionals, and his status as a local hero makes him the perfect Honorary Tournament Chairman for the new Stater Bros. charity golf event. Dave Stockton turned professional in 1964 and joined the PGA Champions Tour after serving as Captain for the victorious Ryder Cup team in 1991 at Kiawah. He accrued 14 Champions Tour victories, including the U.S. Senior Open and twice winning the Ford Senior Players Championship. Stockton also claims 10 PGA Tour victories (winning the PGA Championship in both 1970 & 1976). He became well known in the 1970′s and 80′s for doing up to 90 corporate outings a year and was crowned “King of Corporate Outings” as a result. Last year, Stockton served as the Assistant Captain to the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
Stater Bros. Charities: Since 1936, Stater Bros. Markets has been a pillar of support in the community. Last year, Stater Bros. established, Stater Bros. Charities, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The purpose of Stater Bros. Charities is to give back to the communities Stater Bros. Markets is privileged to serve. In 2008 Stater Bros. Charities donated $1.4 million to local causes. With an emphasis on programs that benefit hunger relief, children’s welfare, education for both youth and adults, services for the elderly and care for our Nation’s Veterans, Stater Bros. Charities will be able to help with some of the most critical needs facing this region.
Stater Bros. Markets: Stater Bros. Markets was founded in 1936 in Yucaipa, California, and has grown steadily through the years to become the largest privately owned Supermarket Chain in Southern California and the largest employer in both San Bernardino County and Riverside County, with annual sales in 2008 of $3.74 billion. The Company currently operates 165 Supermarkets, and there are over 19,000 members of the Stater Bros. “Family” of Employees.
STATER BROS. CHARITIES PROVIDES PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT TO APPROVED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Holiday Relief: NBA Players Will Distribute Meals to 30,000 Families in Need This Holiday Season
NBA Players Association, Catholic Charities USA, and Feed The Children Team Up to Turn Season of Giving into Season of Feeding for Families Throughout the Country
The holidays are arriving early this year for thousands of families in NBA cities throughout the country. The National Basketball Players Association, Catholic Charities USA and Feed The Children announced today that they are teaming up to deliver meals to 30,000 deserving families this holiday season.
Catholic Charities will begin distributing 15,000 holiday sized USDA Grade A turkeys to families in NBA cities on December 12th. In addition, the NBPA and Feed The Children will host events in San Francisco on December 11th, Los Angeles on December 13th and Detroit on December 18th to distribute boxes of food and personal care items to an additional 5,000 families at each event.
“NBA players recognize how the current economy is impacting our fans and families all across the country,” said NBPA president Derek Fisher. “We appreciate that the need this year is greater than ever before and believe that working with these great organizations will help us expand our holiday outreach.”
This year’s effort continues the six-year partnership that the NBPA has with internationally recognized relief agency Feed The Children. Together, they have staged large scale distributions of food and personal care items to families in various cities.
“NBA players are no strangers to rolling up their sleeves to help their communities,” said Billy Hunter NBPA Executive Director. “The partnership with Feed The Children and Catholic Charities underscores that commitment and makes sure that these gifts get to the thousands of people who need it most during the holidays.”
“This holiday season will be brightened for thousands of adults and children across this country because of the generosity of the NBPA and NBA players. On behalf of all who will receive this benefit, Catholic Charities USA thanks the NBPA and NBA players for their work in the community,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA, the membership organization for over 1,700 local Catholic Charities agencies.
“The commitment of NBA players to their communities has helped to feed thousands of people in need, and provides a great example of how public-private partnership can make a difference in our communities,” said Larry Jones, founder and president of Feed The Children. “We are proud to partner with the NBPA to deliver the promise of the holiday season for so many children and families.”
Catholic Charities, USA
Catholic Charities USA’s members–nearly 1,700 local agencies and institutions nationwide–provide help and create hope for nearly 8 million people of all faiths and social and economic backgrounds. For more than 280 years, local Catholic Charities agencies have been providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from day care and counseling to food and housing. For more information, visit www.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org.
The National Basketball Players Association
The National Basketball Players Association is a unique labor institution. As the recognized labor union for all NBA Players, the NBPA has fought to promote the best interests of NBA players both on and off the court for over 40 years. Whether negotiating a collective bargaining agreement, prosecuting a grievance on a player’s behalf, or counseling a player on benefits or educational opportunities, the mission remains the same – To ensure that everything possible is being done to help players maximize their opportunities and achieve their goals on and off the court. The NBPA urges and assists players to give back to the community whenever possible.
Feed The Children
Founded in 1979 by Larry and Frances Jones, Feed The Children is consistently ranked as one of the 10 largest international charities in the U.S., based on private, non-government support. Feed The Children is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty or natural disasters. Since its founding, the organization has reached out to help those in need in the US and in 118 countries around the globe. For more information, please visit www.feedthechildren.org.
Source: Catholic Charities USA
More than 1,500 Eagles – Each One with a Story
Eagles Made During PGA TOUR and LPGA Season Result in Record Donation to St. Jude
It is a cold December day in Memphis, Tennessee and FedExCup Champion Vijay Singh, FedExCup Runner-up Camilo Villegas and LPGA star Morgan Pressel have gathered here — but not to play golf. The impetus that has brought three of the biggest names in professional golf to Memphis is something much more important than any game of golf — children battling cancer.
Singh, Villegas and Pressel are in Memphis on the campus of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital(R) to help present a record-breaking donation to the hospital raised through the 2008 Eagles for St. Jude program. While it certainly would have been easier for each to simply mail a check, the trio wouldn’t have missed being here for the world. For them, this is not a typical charitable endeavor.
Eagles for St. Jude is a powerful program that has brought these three golfers, the PGA TOUR, LPGA, the Golf Channel and companies like Stanford Financial Group and FedEx Corp together with the sole purpose of increasing donations to St. Jude, one of the world’s premier pediatric cancer research centers.
The goal of the 2008 Eagles for St. Jude program was to raise $2 million for St. Jude during this year’s PGA TOUR and LPGA season — a goal that was shattered today when Stanford Financial Group presented a record-breaking $2.57 million donation from Eagles for St. Jude to the hospital. In addition to Stanford’s donation of $1,000 for each of the 1,118 eagles recorded on the PGA TOUR and the 469 eagles on the LPGA Tour, the donation included donations from Singh, Villegas, Pressel, the Stanford St. Jude Championship, the PGA TOUR, LPGA and FedEx, as well as those from the general public who supported the program throughout the year via the Eagles for St. Jude website and online auction.
Singh, better known as “The Big Fijian” by the children being treated for cancer and other deadly diseases at St. Jude, presented the hospital with a personal check for $300,000 — well above the $30,000 he was slated to donate for the six eagles he carded. Villegas, too, more than doubled the amount he pledged with a donation of $50,000.
Singh said, “When I started with Eagles last year I had no idea how much it would change my life. The more time I spend with these incredible kids, the more I experience their unbelievable courage, the more I want to help them. I find that every time I have a chance for an eagle, I can’t help but think about them.”
The FedExCup champion is probably referring to his first eagle of the year, made on the 11th hole at Spyglass Hill at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February that he made for Tyler, a St. Jude patient he had visited during a recent trip to the hospital. What made Singh’s first eagle memorable — even bittersweet — was that Tyler had lost his battle with cancer just three weeks earlier.
“Just like Vijay’s eagle he made for Tyler at Spyglass Hill, every eagle has a story behind it,” said Sir Allen Stanford, Chairman of Stanford Financial Group. “It’s truly an inspiration — and further testament to the power of Eagles for St. Jude, which has grown exponentially since its inception two years ago,” he said. “We are so grateful to Vijay, Camilo and Morgan, the Golf Channel, the PGA TOUR, the LPGA, FedEx and everyone who has so enthusiastically supported it. I am delighted that Stanford can help St. Jude work its miracles. It is our sincere hope that others will join us in supporting Eagles for St. Jude so we can continue to increase awareness for this special place and encourage others to donate to St. Jude for many years to come,” Sir Allen added.
Other participants who helped the success of Eagles for St. Jude include the Golf Channel, which provides promotional support for the program, and FedEx, former sponsor of the Memphis PGA TOUR event and now sponsor of the FedExCup.
“Today is another proud moment for FedEx and our 23 year commitment of support to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Laurie Tucker, FedEx senior vice president of marketing. “With our donation today, and the continued support of hundreds of FedEx team members over the years, we carry on our close involvement with the Stanford St. Jude Championship and our commitment as a company to make an impact in the communities in which we live, work and play.”
Without a doubt, Eagles for St. Jude already has shown enormous impact and long-term staying power. The program, created during Stanford Financial Group’s inaugural sponsorship year of the Stanford St. Jude Championship out of the desire to provide a season-long fundraising component to the Memphis PGA TOUR event, began with Stanford’s commitment to donate $1,000 to St. Jude for every eagle made on the PGA TOUR in the name of the player that makes the eagle. What happened next was a snowball effect that continues to gather momentum.
In 2007, Singh signed on as Global Ambassador for Eagles for St. Jude, initially pledging $1,000 for each of his eagles. After his first visit to St. Jude and experiencing first-hand the incredible courage of the many young patients there, he quickly increased his donation. Singh, who made 12 eagles last year, donated $50,000 for the 2007 season, a $38,000 donation above his commitment. This, along with donations from Stanford Financial Group and the Stanford St. Jude Championship, brought in a record $1.76 million for the hospital.
Singh increased his pledge to $5,000 per every eagle carded during the 2008 season and then enlisted fellow Stanford Athlete Ambassador Camilo Villegas to join him in supporting the program. Not one to pass up a challenge, Villegas pledged to donate $3,000 this year for each of his eagles. When Stanford struck an endorsement deal with up- and-coming LPGA star Morgan Pressel, whose own life was affected by cancer when she lost her mother to the disease, she committed to donate $1,000 for each of her eagles.
Today, as he accepted the $2.57 million Eagles for St. Jude and Stanford St. Jude Championship donation, David L. McKee, Chief Operating Officer and interim CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude, said, “On behalf of our patients and their families, I want to thank Stanford Financial Group, FedEx and these wonderful golfers for this remarkable gift. Your compassion and support of our lifesaving work will make a lasting difference in the lives of our patients and children all over the world who know hope thanks to the research and care pioneered by St. Jude.”
Not surprisingly, as Singh, Villegas and Pressel gathered at St. Jude today, the three committed to continuing their support of Eagles for St. Jude during the 2009 PGA and LPGA seasons and discussed ways to get other professional golfers involved.
Singh said, “If every golfer spent just one minute with these remarkable kids, each and every one of them would commit to supporting Eagles for St. Jude. How could they not?”
Consider that a challenge, golfers.
Source: Stanford Financial Group; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital